August 09, 2005

Robbed!

Last night, my husband went out for dinner with his colleagues sans moi. They left at 8 pm and went to this place I have never heard off but apparently is a good place to find a variety of Turkish and non Turkish food. Husband was calling every now and then to tell me how good the place is and how nice the atmosphere and the food until his last call. He got robbed. He was standing in line for a cab and a man "accidentally" bumped into him. Next thing he knew, his money is gone. He was a pickpocket victim! He was fuming mad and tried to find the guy but he could not identify him in the sea of Turkish people around.

This was the first time I got scared for my husband going out here in Istanbul. I was hoping and praying that he just get home safe and let go of the situation. I did not want him to go look for the person who did it. With my mind going on overdrive mode, I was thinking of scenarios that were not really pleasant and just gave me more to worry about.

What if he found the guy who did it and suddenly, out of anger, he punches him in the face? I know my husband very well to determine when he is really angry and frustrated and I know he will not be forgiving on a person who does this kind of stuff to him. I was scared that he might hit the guy only to find out that the person is not alone and has other "accomplices" near him who would readily go over to the rescue of their friend. What if the guy or those guys are armed with a knife or a gun? One can really never know. My mind was just going crazy. I was begging my husband to just get home and let go of it.

After a heated discussion over the phone. my husband agreed to go home and so I waited.

The waiting was killing me!

He said he was going to be home in thirty minutes but an hour has passed and he is still not home!

I tried calling his mobile and it was ringing ( whew!). Then he answers the phone. He said he was already in the cab and he will be at our doorstep in 10 minutes.

Finally, he arrives home. Safe. Then he started to narrate again what happened and confessed that he still did try to find out where the pickpocket guy could have gone to but had no luck in finding him and so he gave up.

The mother in me just started to calmly reprimand him of his actions and just hugged him. I asked him if he knew by any chance the turkish word for "help" and he answered -No. So I told him never to challenge a situation like this again. If something happened to him no one will be able to help him and understand him. We are indeed in a foreign country and just like any other place, we are the foreigners here, not the other way around.

Like in any other country, things like this happen. Heck! Even in the Philippines, that pickpocketing "technique" was one of the oldest trick in the book. I knew that too well way way back then.I would have been not as scared if it happened in Pinas but my fear doubles knowing that this is not my country and my husband and I need to take care of each other to survive situations like this.

Well.. There are always two sides of a coin, the good and the bad and last night, we experienced for the first time the not so good side of living in Istanbul.

Posted by duke at 8/09/2005 08:40:00 PM

20 Comments:

Anonymous said...: As important as your husband's belongings are, it's a good thing he wasn't able to find the person and was able to return home safely. Whew.; 8/09/2005 11:57:00 PM
Anonymous said...: not such a nice welcome to your current host country, but you're right, the important thing is that he got home safely! i'm glad the pickpocket disappeared into the crowd without harming him ... i remember the horror stories in manila where the goons would just stab you in the back, steal your wallet/cellphone and leave you to bleed or crawl your way to the hospital! scary!
-kala the paranoid android; 8/10/2005 12:09:00 AM
Abaniko said...: the hassle in losing one's wallet is getting a new set of cards again like credit cards, office id, driver's license, etc...

good thing he's safe.; 8/10/2005 12:56:00 AM
undiscussablerealms said...: i'm glad your husband is safe. and it's divine providence he did not find the pickpocket.; 8/10/2005 05:51:00 AM
Anonymous said...: Duke,
sorry to hear that. pero at least di sya sinaktan. i remember my hubby when we were in manila sumama ba naman with me sa quiapo!!! lahat ng pinoy don sinabihan ako na wag na gagawin yon kasi nga delikado. hay naku - kakanerbyos talaga. sya ingat na lang kayo.; 8/10/2005 06:53:00 AM
grace said...: duke! thank goodness he got home in one piece! i could actually visualize him in rage! is he still using his personal email addy? was thinking of sending him an email also ... support group ba kung baga ... heheheheh ...

you're right ... we're the foreigners ... and whenever it counts, the locals will stick with their own ...

hugs for you and x ...; 8/10/2005 07:06:00 AM
Analyse said...: ingatz. im a certified worry wart too! ewan ko ba, but french people are not so cool in that kind of scenarios, kaya each time umaalis mag isa si frenchguy, im worrying a lot! buti na lang, di na nya nahanap. ingat ka rin dyan.; 8/10/2005 11:04:00 AM
Punzi said...: At least he was not hurt...; 8/10/2005 03:42:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Speaking of pickpocketers; If you are familiar with the zebra lines from Landmark crossing to the Citibank in Central near WorldWide House, there's now a BIG techno-sign that says "BE CAREFUL WITH PICKPOCKETS". Never will you see a signage like that in HK, but every Sunday the Police hang them near the LV shop - in other words, the message is actually BEWARE OF PINOYS. Kakahiya but true.

The other week, 2 filipino tourists were caught at the Central MTR station seizing a Dior bag full of US$ notes. Ayun na TVB Pearl sa news.

On the same event, a lady na kagagaling palang sa loan agency was robbed by fellow pinays - napulsuhan ng cutter yung wrist nung pinay dahil nag aagawan sa BAG na puno ng HK$. Kaw Choo Wah!

Sa Manila, I witnessed this smart-good looking kid at SM grabbing a cellphone from a girl yelling at her "AKIN NA YANG CP MO KUNG AYAW MONG MASAMPAL".

Aray ko!; 8/10/2005 04:14:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Sorry na aliw ako dun, nahabaan ko masyado yung comment este kwento.; 8/10/2005 04:16:00 PM
nikki said...: your husband can always get another wallet, a replacement credit card and could easily replace the money he lost but he can never bring back his life if something happenned to him. kaya i'm glad he listened to you.

i guess in every country, there are always areas like this.; 8/10/2005 07:13:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Scary incident! Being unfamiliar with a place does add to the danger. Happy to know he wasn't hurt. Haha, can imagine myself having the same reaction as yours. Talak sabay akap! hehe. I can still remember the time someone stole my phone from me inside an fx taxi under the quiapo bridge. Nakipag-agawan pa ako, ngek!; 8/11/2005 06:36:00 PM
asphaire 許泰莎 said...: Dukessa!!!!!!!!!! I'm back from France!!!; 8/11/2005 08:23:00 PM
duke said...: mare- boy was I glad!

kala- I also had those scenarios pictured in my head and was just dead scared not to mention paranoid! que horror!

abaniko- funny thing is he did not have a wallet ..just money alone .. buti na lang!

undiscussablerealms- yes it is! am just thankful!

isay- grabe! tapang ni husbandry ah hanggang quiapo sumama.. di ka naman ninerbyos habang pinagtitinginan sha ng mga tao?

gracei- hehehehe you know how X can be when he is mad.just imagine he was mad and he had a couple of drinks pa so medyo tipsy na galit!he's fine now just don't mention any of that scene to him!; 8/12/2005 07:02:00 PM
duke said...: analyse- grabe no? nakakaubos ng lakas ang mag worry! thanks sa concern sis!

punzi - yep!m glad he was not hurt

knoizki - all your stories brought a weird smile on my face.you make days like this so much brighter! MANAMPAL BA PARA SA CP! LoL

nikki-I'm just so happy he is well.

Patrice- grabe sa tapang! makipag agawan ba?! LoL; 8/12/2005 07:06:00 PM
tintin said...: You're right to be scared about your husband's actions. He must be more cautious for all the reasons you've listed. Strangeley, I'm glad it was a pickpocket that went on its merry way. I can remember my aunt coming home when I was little. She had been held up at knifepoint. Yikes!; 8/12/2005 07:35:00 PM
Anonymous said...: naku! hirap talaga when things like this happen especially pag di mo teritoryo yung lugar. :(

but thank goodness, your hubby is safe. :); 8/12/2005 11:17:00 PM
Airwind said...: naku poh ... nakakatakot din pala dyan?? anyway buti na lang po at nakauwi nang maayos hubby nyo?? well hindi naman talga makakaiwas sa mga bwisit na yan... marami na kong istoryang nariring sa mga lintik na taong yan. lalo na dito sa pinas. ingatz na lang po sila!!!; 8/13/2005 03:14:00 AM
grace said...: duke ... i wont mention anything ... it's just nice to know that he's safe ... hope you're also over (if not totally then just in the process of getting over it) that horrible incident ...; 8/13/2005 11:10:00 AM
Noemi said...: hi duke! ngayon lang ako nakagala..whew! gulat ako dito..sana okay na si hubby..take care always, okei?!...; 8/13/2005 08:37:00 PM

Confessions of an Expat's Wife

August 09, 2005

Robbed!

20 Comments:

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